Monday, September 30, 2013

Apparently,
the safety bulletins and news articles regarding the dangers of working on a
cell phone tower haven’t been made public enough because this past weekend two
people were warned by police after jumping from a cell tower in Dodge County,
Wisconsin. The jumpers were told that if they came back to the site again they
would be charged with trespassing.

It is
believed that these two were BASE jumping, an activity where people jump from a
fixed structure and use a parachute to break their fall. According to BASE
Jumping HQ, “95% of all base jumpers spend at
least 2 weeks + in hospital during their time jumping. 5% of all base
jumper DIE. It is estimated that one of 2,340 BASE Jumps someone dies. (in
contrast to 1 in 117,000 skydives).”

Last
week 28-members of the FAA advisory committee voted to recommend a change in
regulation that would allow airplane passengers to use Smartphones and other
mobile devices when the aircraft is below 10,000 feet. This recommendation will
be sent to the FAA today for a final decision. Downloading data, surfing the
Web, and talking on the phone would still be prohibited; however, you will be
able to access applications and videos that have already been downloaded or
installed on your computer.

The
FAA doesn’t have the authority to change the regulations regarding whether or
not cell phone calls can be made on airplanes—that decision belongs to the FCC.
“The Federal Communications Commission, which
regulates the cellphone industry, has opposed allowing passengers on
fast-moving planes to makephonecalls, citing potential interference with cellular networks
as phones in the sky skip from cell tower to cell tower faster than networks
can keep up,” Joan Lowy of the Associated
Press explains.

Now
passengers are required to shut off all electronic devices during take-off and
landing so that the devices do not interfere with the plane equipment. Lowy
explains that, “newer aircraft are better equipped to prevent electronic
interference, and critics long have complained that the safety concerns behind
the regulations are groundless.”

For
Verizon customers in Southampton County, Virginia the option to text 911 in an
emergency is now an available option if you are in close range of the
Southampton County cell phone tower. Text to 911 is becoming a popular feature
for those residents who are hearing or speech impaired or anyone who finds
themselves in a situation where it is too dangerous to speak to the 911
operator.

“The
safety of residents and visitors in Southampton County is our number-one
concern,” said Southampton County Sheriff Jack Stutts said in a release. “Text
to 911 could be a life-saver, especially for people who might otherwise not be
able to make a voice call. I congratulate my staff members for their work in
establishing this service and for setting an example for other public safety
professionals.” (Source: Tide Water News)

Southampton
County is the second public safety answering point in Virginia to accept
Text-to-911. “Public safety is a top
priority. We assist public safety organizations in their efforts to get
residents the help they need in emergencies. We do this by providing
enhanced location information to emergency call takers so they can more
effectively route calls for emergency assistance,” Verizon explains.

Text to 911 is not available everywhere, but the major
wireless carriers are hoping to expand this program in order to assist as many
people as possible and increase public safety.

Last
week, the Federal Communications Commission released a report proposing an
action to improve the wireless network reliability during disasters. They plan
to do this by, “requiring wireless service providers to publicly disclose the percentage
of cell sites within their networks that are operational during and immediately
after disasters,” the FCC explains.

The
FCC does understand that some wireless service interruptions may be unavoidable
during emergencies but the goal is to minimize the number of interruptions. “For
example, Superstorm Sandy disabled approximately 25 percent of cell sites in
the affected region, with more than 50 percent of cell sites disabled in the
hardest-hit counties, yet not all wireless networks were equally impaired,” the
report noted. It was also mentioned that the practices that these wireless
service providers use could play a role in the variation of the reliability of
the structure during natural disasters.

“The
FCC’s proposal would require wireless service providers to submit to the FCC,
for public disclosure on a daily basis during and immediately after disasters,
the percentage of operational cell sites for each county within a designated
disaster area. Information yielding these percentages is already included in
voluntary reports that wireless service providers submit to the FCC daily
during disasters, albeit on a presumptively confidential basis and as part of a
larger set of data,” the report explained.

Friday, September 27, 2013

The
tower industry is growing at a quick pace, which is encouraging people to jump
into this business whether they know the ins and outs of the tower business or
not. In 2007, the Lewis County Commission of West Virginia was awarded, “a
one-time $8.4 million Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) grant
by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for interoperable
radio network supplies including mobile tower and microwave radios, and mobile
and satellite radio gateways,” according to the Special Report by the WestVirginia Legislative Auditor.

Once
the county received the PSIC grant, they realized that the restrictions of the
grant made constructing a tower very difficult and the money went entirely to
equipment. So in 2008, the Legislature allocated $10 million from the State
Lottery Commission surplus to improve the interoperability communications in
West Virginia.

“Dave
Coffman, Chief Deputy of the Lewis County Sheriffs’ Office (since elected
Sheriff of Upshur County) invited Mr. Gonzalez to speak with him about the
possibility of constructing a tower in the Lewis County town of Roanoke. Together
the two met with the Lewis County Commission about the possibility of the
application for a DMAPS grant. The Lewis County Commissioners at that time and
Chief Deputy Coffman understood this grant would only be used for the Roanoke
tower. The Lewis County Commission applied for a DMAPS sub-grant and was awarded
the amount of $307,347 in sub-grant 08-SR-03 to construct the Roanoke tower on
July 31, 2009,” the report explained.

So
this is when things got complicated. The Lewis County Commission issued an
advertisement in the Weston Democrat
on July 8th and July 15th of 2009. Three vendors
responded to the ad and met at a pre-bid meeting and tower site visit on July
20, 2009. The Lewis County Commission opened the bids and held a bid review at
their July 27, 2009 meeting. Mr. Gonzalez, Lewis County 911 Director Bill
Rowan, and then-Lewis County Chief Deputy Coffman reviewed the bids for the
Commission. The report explains that the Lewis County Commission relied on the
experience of Mr. Gonzalez, Sheriff Coffman and Mr. Rowan to help ensure the
bidders met the correct qualifications. Mr. Rowan had no previous experience
dealing with tower construction bidding and Sherriff Coffman had no technical
knowledge regarding microwave or antennas.

After
the bid review process, it was decided that Premier Construction had the lowest
big and the Lewis County Commission immediately entered into contract with the
company. Once the contract was in place,
the Legislative Auditor was unable to obtain the bids for the other companies
involved in the process. The reason this has become a major focal point is
because the local government didn’t bid the contract out as required by the Government
Contract Act.

The
Competitive Bidding Act requires, in part, that: “The state and its
subdivisions shall, except as provided in this section, solicit competitive
bids for every construction project exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars in
total cost: Provided, That a vendor who has been debarred pursuant to the
provisions of sections thirty-three-a through thirtythree-f, inclusive, article
three, chapter five-a of this code may not bid on or be awarded a contract
under this section. All bids submitted pursuant to this chapter shall include a
valid bid bond or other surety as approved by the State of West Virginia or its
subdivisions.”

The
question is: was this fraud or simply a mistake? Either way, the Lewis County
Commission broke the law by not soliciting competitive bids for this project
and only placing a small ad hidden in the newspaper.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

AT&T is moving full speed ahead trying to deploy their 4G
LTE network across the United States as quickly as they can so their customers
can have access to their latest generation of wireless network technology. This
week, AT&T deployed the network in 10 additional cities across the county:

Carson City, NV

Bellingham, WA

Marysville, CA

Portsmouth, OH

Joplin, MO

Monterey, CA

San Angelo, TX

Statesboro, GA

East Stroudsburg, PA

“Our 4G LTE service was recognized as having faster average
download and upload speeds than any of our competitors inPCWorld/TechHive's most recent 20-market speed tests— the second consecutive year that AT&T has ranked first overall.
PCWorld/TechHive also ranked AT&T's as the fastest combination of 3G and 4G
services in the 20 cities it tested,” AT&T shared in a press release.

xG
Technology Inc. delivers cognitive radio network technology that meets
the world’s rising demand for reliable and affordable wireless broadband, while
making more efficient use of scarce spectrum assets. With the amount of
broadband spectrum dwindling, products like xG’s xVM and xAP are useful in the
radio network.

The xVM (xMax Vehicle Modem) has received FCC certification
by way of a Grant of Equipment Authorization so it is authorized to be sold in
the U.S., while the xAP (xMax Access Point) is waiting for the final paperwork to
be completed by the FCC. It is expected to be received soon so all the required
FCC testing will be completed.

“The xVM seamlessly connects smartphones, tablets, notebooks
and other devices to the Internet via an xMax cognitive radio network,” xG Technology
explained in a press release. “While primarily developed for vehicle usage, the
xVM may also be externally mounted in fixed locations like parks or other
outdoor areas to provide WiFi and wired Ethernet access for use in monitoring,
surveillance, machine-to-machine (M2M) and other applications.

The xAP is different from the xVM because it is a compact
base station that communicates wirelessly with xG’s xMod and xVM to create an
all-IP, high-capacity, high-performance wireless access point that will be able
to deliver wide area coverage when there is significant interference.

"We are extremely pleased to have the xVM so closely
follow the xMod in receiving FCC approval for commercialdelivery and use," saidJohn Coleman,
CEO of xG Technology. "The xVM's rugged design is well-suited for
deployment in public safety, homeland security, utilities and military
applications. Now that all xMax radio products have successfully passed FCC
testing, we will soon deliver product to customers, once we receive final
certification paperwork for the xAP in the coming few days."

Monday,
September 23rd Wilson Electronics introduced the CI 2070, which is a
cellular signal booster that works to enhance the cell carrier’s signal,
including all 4G technologies, as well as 3G and 2G voice and data. The CEDIA,
the industry association for professionals who design and install home
technology, named the Wilson CI 2070 a finalist for their award that recognizes
the top new products in the residential electronic systems industry.

"We are especially thrilled to have a signal booster
from the Wilson Certified Installer product line recognized by CEDIA for the
second year in a row," saidBlake Seese, Wilson's custom integrator business
development director. "It is an important achievement for the CI 2070 to
be named a Best New Product finalist in CEDIA's 2013 Manufacturers Excellence
Awards."

This new device allows the installer to customize the signal
amplification on each of the five frequency bands. This allows an optimized
signal boost to match the precise coverage requirements of each building where
the CI 2070 is installed. The winners of
CEDIA’s 2013 Manufacturers Excellence Award will be announced at a press
conference this Friday and recognized at the Electronic Lifestyles Awards
Celebration on Saturday at the CEDIA Expo in Denver.

CEDIA, the
Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association, is the leading
global authority in the $14 billion home technology industry. CEDIA
represents3,500 member companiesworldwide and serves more
than22,000 industry professionalsthat manufacture, design, and
integrate goods and services for the connected home.

Mobile
Experts, who specialize in radio electronics for both handsets and
infrastructure, plan to deploy over 16 million DAS nodes by the end of 2018.
The company released a 5-year forecast for their Distributed Antenna System
today. There has been speculation that DAS is going to grow very quickly over
the next few years.

"Multiple operators inNorth Americaare doubling or tripling their DAS
spending plans", explainedJoe Madden, Principal Analyst at Mobile Experts.
"In China, DAS spending is down 20%, but in theUSAit's up 30%. There are radical
changes going on, which in the end will be incredibly lucrative for DAS neutral
hosts, installers, and system integrators."

Through their research, Mobile Experts predicts
that the number of DAS nodes will double in the next three years and by the end
of 2018 more than 50% of DAS networks will include small cells and Wi-Fi. Their
five-year forecast illustrated the
trends in Wi-Fi and public safety adoption, along with LTE services.

"The DAS market will more than double in
size over the next five years, with a dramatic increase in the combination of
DAS with Wi-Fi, public safety radio, and LTE networks. People wonder how
small cells will find access to backhaul. In fact, the clear answer is to
use a fiber-based DAS system in many public buildings," Madden explained.

Monday, September 23, 2013

This
is a question that many school boards, including the Anne Arundel County Board
of Education, has been considering when it comes to the decision about
constructing cell phone towers on school property or near the property. Because
the FCC and other government entities have developed strict standards for cell
towers in order to keep the radio frequency emissions low and there hasn’t been
any conclusive studies linking cell towers and negative health effects, why
should these towers be a concern?

The
Capital Gazette explains in the case of Maryland’s Anne Arundel County that, “Essentially, the objections to Milestone
Communications’ proposal for a 99-foot-tall monopole antenna at Piney Orchard
Elementary School in Odenton represent fear of the unknown — a reasonable thing
when it comes to the evolving understanding of health risks.”

However, the school board believes these towers
are a necessity because they will provide funds for education as well as meet
the demand for cell phone reception throughout the county. Many towns have
begun taking legislative steps to ban cell towers being built on or near school
property.

“Parents are capable of weighing concrete
financial gains and cloudy potential for health risks. It’s easy to see parents
at Piney Orchard saying no thanks to a tower on their 18-acre school yard,
while parents at Broadneck High, another targeted school, might be OK with one
on their 62-acre campus,” the Capital Gazette explained.

Today, Wilson Electronics introduced
a new product specifically for certified installers. The CI 2070 boosts all carriers' signal, including all 4G
technologies, as well as 3G and 2G voice and data. This booster will support LTE
and other cellular technology to provide reliable cell coverage indoors up to
80,000 square feet."The
CI 2070 is Wilson's first 4G cellular signal booster designed specifically for
the installer market," saidBlake Seese, Wilson's custom integrator (CI) director.
"It delivers greatly enhanced voice and data coverage in buildings where
it's deployed. For our certified installers, the CI 2070 also provides a new
revenue source by helping solve customers' cellular reception problems in
virtually any type of building."This new device allows the installer to
customize the signal amplification on each of the five frequency bands. This allows an
optimized signal boost to match the precise coverage requirements of each
building where the CI 2070 is installed. Although this device is
powerful, it’s small in size, weighing about 3 lbs.Wilson Electronics helps people solve the number one issue facing the cellular
industry: dropped calls and poor signal strength. They deliver cell
phone booster solutions formobile,building, andmachine-to-machine (M2M) data
transfer situations. As provider of North America’s top-selling line of cell
phone signal boosters, Wilson designs and manufactures a wide variety of
amplifiers, antennas and related components to improve communications for cell
phones and cellular data devices.

After the FCC approved AT&T’s acquisition of Alltel’s
assets, AT&T went ahead with the completion of the transaction and closed
the deal over the weekend for a grand total of $780 million. AT&T
acquired wireless properties in six states, including spectrum licenses,
network assets, retail stores and approximately 590,000 subscribers. The Alltel
network covers approximately 4.5 million people in mainly rural areas inGeorgia,Idaho,Illinois,North Carolina,Ohio andSouth Carolina.

"We welcome Alltel
customers to the AT&T family, and we think they will love everything they
can do on our superfast 4G network," said AT&T Georgia PresidentSylvia Russell. "We've invested more than$4.5 billion in our wireless and wired networks inGeorgia since 2010, including more than$675 million in the first half of 2013."

AT&T
plans to immediately begin work upgrading the Alltel network to their latest 4G
LTE technology and hope to have this task completed by the summer of 2014. AT&T expects its 4G LTE network to
reach 300 million people by the end of next year.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Today,
the FCC announced that they will approve of AT&T’s acquisition of Alltel. At the beginning of the year, AT&T
announced it would be buying Alltel’s customers and spectrum for $780 million.
The FCC explained that they were going to stop their informal 180-day time
clock to review the transactions because AT&T didn’t provide its plans for
transitioning Alltel’s significant pre-paid customer base.

The FCC explained in their report that, “In
this Memorandum Opinion and Order, we approve, subject to conditions, the
applications of AT&T and ATN (together, the “Applicants”) for Commission
consent to the transfer of control of, and assignment of, a number of cellular,
Personal Communications Services (“PCS”), Lower 700 MHz Band B and C Block, and
common carrier fixed point-to-point microwave licenses; spectrum leasing
authorizations; and an international section 214 authorization from ATN’s
wholly-owned subsidiary, Allied, to AT&T."

Once
this transaction is complete, approximately 620,000 customers, along with
network equipment and other assets, will be transferred from Allied to
AT&T.

If
you or your company is looking to hire within the wireless industry, then
please send a brief job description along with contact information to jobs@insidetowers.com and
we’ll add them to our Job Listings blog.

Also,
if you’re making a career move within the industry we would love to know about
it and share your success with our readers! Email us at peoplemoves@insidetowers.com.

AT&T
has been working hard to deploy their 4G LTE network in as many cities in the
United States as possible. This week they made their 4G LTE network available
in:

Pittsfield, MA

Amarillo, TX

Fargo, ND

Willimantic, CT

Torrington, CT

According
to AT&T, “LTE technology is capable of
deliveringmobile Internetspeeds up
to 10 times faster than 3G. Customers can stream, download, upload and game
faster than ever before.” These launches are part of AT&T's Project
Velocity IP (VIP), a three-year investment plan announced last fall to expand
and enhance its IP broadband networks.

"We continue to see demand for mobile Internet
skyrocket, and our4G LTE networkinTorringtonresponds to what customers want from their mobile experience
— faster and reliable, all on the best devices," saidJohn Emra,
president, AT&T Connecticut.

Duke
University Professor, Bates White Partner, and former FCC Chief Economist
Leslie Marx submitted a report to the FCC that states that proposals to restrict Verizon's and AT&T's
participation in the upcoming Incentive Auction would "put at risk its
twin priorities of raising significant revenue and reallocating a substantial
amount of spectrum from broadcast to mobile wireless services."

The
proposed rules to the Incentive Auction would limit Verizon’s and AT&T’s
ability to bid for spectrum. The motive behind these rules is to encourage
smaller firms to participate in the auction, but Dr. Marx explains that, “I
have analyzed proposals to restrict the participation of Verizon and AT&T
in the Incentive Auction in order to prevent the anticompetitive foreclosure of
smaller rivals. The evidence does not support assertions that anticompetitive
foreclosure is likely.”

The
FCC is expected to reach a decision concerning the Incentive Auction by the end
of the year. Dr. Marx conducted this research on behalf of Verizon Wireless.
The report was submitted to the FCC on September 18, 2013.

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Inside Towers is written for the wireless tower industry. There is plenty of news and information for wireless, but there is very little news targeted to towers specifically. There is no other available source of daily tower news and information written for the tower owners, managers, and supporting businesses.